I am 58. I was taking HRT until January and everything below was new.
Started Letrozole end of February on diagnosis. Took it until results appointment last week.
It gave me constipation, extreme hot flushes, vaginal dryness, feet that itched bad enough to wake me up if I’d worn shoes and socks at all that day. All of these were manageable or treatable. The feet require a daily antihistamine and menthol cream but aren’t just prickly.
These were the reasons I stopped taking it. Sore joints all over not improved by ibuprofen but especially my hands were so stiff and swollen I couldn’t open a bottle of water and was starting to lose the use of them entirely with constant tingling. I struggled to get out of the chair. Secondly It had a massive impact on my mental health. I know this is a worrying time for all of us but within days of starting it I got depressed (something that has never happened in other stressful times in my life). It was like a bank of grey fog descended and I couldn’t find any joy or laughter anywhere. Not even the grandpup. I planned to leave home without tell my family where I was as I was useless and going to be a burden. I had many dark spirals.
I just wasn’t me.
I stopped taking it last week and my sense humour was back in 2 days. The hands are much improved and I’m creaking a lot less. Hopefully full function back in a couple of weeks.
I talked it over with my surgeon last week who let me stop without replacement. Saw my oncologist this week and he said I wasn’t alone in this. Tamoxifen was ruled out due to my family history of non dissolving blood clots.
I wish I could take it but I can’t live 5 years like that. But everyone has different experiences and mine may be so extreme as I came of HRT and took a deeper dive into side effects, If you’re asking because you’re wondering if you should take it then I’d say try it and see how you react. Some people have very few side effects and it’s a very useful drug.
Edited to add Letrozole also gave me huge brain fog and memory issues. I couldn’t do basic mental maths when that’s always been a strong area for me and couldn’t remember even family names.